Divine Attributes and Power
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Isaiah
37. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 40
Comfort,
comfort my people
“Comfort, comfort my people, says your
God” (v.1). This chapter is one of the great
treasures of Isaiah and ranks among the highest portions of Scripture. It is a
wonderful word from God for His flock. His intentions are always good towards
them and His longing is for them to feel comfort and security under His care. He
instructs His messengers to give comfort.
He chastens, as a good father always must, and He said
in his covenant with David, concerning his offspring, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he
commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes
of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took
it from Saul…” (2 S.7:14-15). The destiny of Saul should never be used to
frighten the Lord’s sheep into obedience and subjection. The end of David’s
line was not to be compared with Saul’s. “Speak
tenderly to Jerusalem…” Conflict was one of the ways, in which God frequently
disciplined, but now Jerusalem is assured that the war had ended and the
punishment was more than sufficient (v.2).
Hezekiah’s Illness and Error
Labels:
Isaiah
36. An expository study of Isaiah, chapters 38 and 39
Chapter 38
Please open your Bible to Isaiah 38, so that you can
follow the text, as I try to comment on it. We run into a difficulty in this
chapter, but it only serves to teach us the ways of God. It is our purpose in
the study of Scriptures, not to look for support for pet doctrines, but to open
our hearts to learn the character of God and His dealings with mankind.
When we contemplate the sovereignty of God, we must
take the relationship between God and man into account. Abraham was His friend
and He spoke and communed with him. This
is a most wonderful thing in God’s personality: “The Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do’” (Ge.18:17).
God was also very intimate with Moses and spoke with him, “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex.33:11). I have
always been amazed at the following passage, when God intended to destroy the
Israelites, after they made a golden calf to worship. He exclaimed to Moses, “Let
me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against your people” (Ex.32:10).
Moses actually detained the hand of the Almighty.
There are multiple times in the Bible, when we see the
Lord withholding judgment, which He had declared upon people. The case of Jonah,
prophesying destruction to the people of Nineveh, is a classic example, when the
grace and mercy of God entered into the picture. Here is another interesting
prophecy from the life of Paul, in which the disciples in Tyre prophesied: “Through the Spirit they were telling Paul
not to go on to Jerusalem” (Ac.21:4). Agabus also prophesied concerning
this in Caesaria, and all the Christians tried to persuade him not to go on,
but finally resigned to “let the will of
the Lord be done” (21:14). We must conclude that, in the end in every case,
the sovereign, unchangeable will of God is done.
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